Baan Goes Web Wild

Baan’s Web ProductsBaan introduced a line of Web collaboration systems — the first major product line from the company since it was acquired by Invensys PLC. iBaan is designed for integrating supply- chain management systems and allows business users to personalize information. The products inclu...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 31, 2001

Xenakis on Technology: Why You Need an Optical Mouse

Leah Stevens gets shooting pains in her hands and wrists if she types for several hours at a time on her computer. As it happens, she’s also working on her Ph.D. thesis on ergonomics and technology for the engineering and psychology departments at the University of Central Florida, so she’s in a ...

By John Xenakis • Jan. 31, 2001

Explore the Trendline➔

The CFO Strategy for Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence’s impact on the office of the CFO continues to evolve, and finance chiefs must be aware of the opportunities it will create for growth. 

By CFO.com staff

New Drugstore.com CFO Stanches the Bleeding

Bob Barton has a daunting task ahead of him. Recently named drugstore.com CFO, he is expected to have the company at cash flow breakeven within three-years time, and he must get there with no additional funding. Can he do it? His chances are looking pretty good so far. Recent cuts in staff and re...

By Craig Schneider • Jan. 31, 2001

Intel’s New Chip for Notebooks

On Tuesday, Intel will unveil two energy- saving versions of its Pentium III and Celeron microprocessors for notebook computers, according to wire service reports. Dow Jones News reported that the chips are targeted for lightweight notebooks weighing less than three pounds, often referred to as s...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 30, 2001

Is Microsoft Too Strong for Java?

Last week, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft reached an out-of-court settlement over Microsoft’s alleged misuse of Sun’s trademark for the Java programming language. But now that the two rivals are no longer engaged in active hostilities, corporate IT users probably want to know where they fit into ...

By Michelle Gabrielle • Jan. 30, 2001

Notebook Market Is on a Roll

Notebook Growth Remains SolidThe overall notebook market shows surprising resiliency compared with desktop PCs. Worldwide, notebook shipments grew 21 percent year over year during the fourth quarter compared with desktop PC growth of 1.6 percent, according to a report in Cnet News. In the United ...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 29, 2001

Microsoft Renews Hostilities

You have to hand it to the boys from Redmond, otherwise known as Microsoft. Two days after the company settled a lawsuit with rival Sun Microsystems over alleged misuse of Sun’s Java computer language, Microsoft did an about face and unveiled a plan aimed at getting Java developers to support to ...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 26, 2001

E*Trade’s CFO Keeps Lid on Costs

Maybe you can’t have your cake and eat it, too, but you can’t blame E*Trade CFO Leonard Purkis for trying. On Friday, Purkis is headed for Tampa, Fla., the site of this year’s Super Bowl, where E*Trade is joining a host of other advertisers who are shelling out an average of $2.4 million for each...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 26, 2001

PC Prices Aren’t Dropping

Normally, when demand for a once hot commodity runs into a dry spell, that translates into lower prices for customers, as manufacturers try to jump-start sales. But that isn’t happening in the corporate personal computer market, even as the global PC business suffers through one of its worst slum...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 25, 2001

Local Telcos Must Open Up

FCC Gets ToughThe Federal Communications Commission isn’t backing down from its demand that local telephone companies like BellSouth share their local directory assistance databases with competing providers of directory assistance, including Internet services, at reasonable rates. The local phone...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 25, 2001

Xenakis on Technology: Electronic Billing and Payments Save Money

At Texas A&M University, 45,000 students use the “Aggie Card,” a prepaid debit card with which they purchase goods and services both on and off campus. Each month, students receive, by secure E-mail, a detailed statement of all charges on the card. The concept sounds simple enough — send out ...

By John Xenakis • Jan. 24, 2001

Microsoft and Sun Sign a Peace Treaty

Cease Fire!The computer industry’s answer to the Hatfields and the McCoys, otherwise known as Microsoft and Sun Microsystems, ended their long-running legal battle over Microsoft’s license for Sun’s Java technology. Microsoft said the settlement permits it to continue shipping all current product...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 24, 2001

Dot-Coms, Databases, and Dollars

Customer databases are becoming hot commodities as the number of dot-coms headed for bankruptcy pile up, but the events surrounding the recent bankruptcy of Toysmart.com offers an important lesson for any company looking to buy or sell customer files. Some businesses are offering cold, hard cash ...

By Jennifer Caplan • Jan. 23, 2001

DoubleClick Gets a Clean Bill of Health

In a move that could be a green light for many Internet advertising and marketing companies, The Federal Trade Commission closed its investigation into the data-collection practices of online advertising network DoubleClick. The agency said on Monday that the company had not violated its privacy ...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 23, 2001

Big Plans for New Technology

Who knows what’s going to happen to corporate IT spending in the next year? Plenty of people are worried, for good reasons, about an economic downturn. Still, there are companies that are clearly placing their bets on the next generation of new technology and positioning themselves for a rebound....

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 22, 2001

IBM Laughs Last

(Editor’s note: “Today in Technology,” will cover the corporate technology market on a daily basis. Comments are welcome. Send E- Mails to [email protected].)IBM may still be the largest computer company in the world, but for years, it hasn’t gotten any real respect.Every so often, an industry a...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 19, 2001

Will The Groundhog See its Shadow?

(Editor’s note: “Today in Technology,” will cover the corporate technology market on a daily basis. Comments are welcome. Send E- Mails to [email protected].)In two weeks, on February 2nd, the eyes of the world will focus on Punxsutawney, Penn., and the trials and tribulations of Punxsutawney Ph...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 18, 2001

Xenakis on Technology: Enhanced 9-1-1 Can Save Employees’ Lives, for a Price (Updated)

(Updated to change “RedSky’s AutoPilot starts at about $50,000 for 50 lines…” to say “RedSky’s AutoPilot starts at about $30,000 for 1,000 lines…”)“Enhanced 911” (E-9-1-1) is what tells the emergency response services the address you’re calling from. But if one of your employees dials 911 from on...

By John Xenakis • Jan. 17, 2001

A Solution to the Power Shortage?

(Editor’s note: “Today in Technology,” will cover the corporate technology market on a daily basis. Comments are welcome. Send E- Mails to [email protected].)The blessings of good timing. No sooner did Southern California Edison default on some of its debt and move to the brink of bankruptcy tha...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 17, 2001

Intel Extends its Mobile Strategy

(Editor’s note: “Today in Technology,” will cover the corporate technology market on a daily basis. Comments are welcome. Send E- Mails to [email protected].)When Intel announced its $748 million acquisition of Xircom Monday afternoon, it seemed to fill a gap in the company’s product line.The de...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 16, 2001

AOL Time Warner: So Happy Together?

(Editor’s note: “Today in Technology,” will cover the corporate technology market on a daily basis. Comments are welcome. Send E- Mails to [email protected].)Now that waiting game is over and AOL Time Warner is one, combined company, what’s next for this monster? One guess is as good as another,...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 15, 2001

Excited About Broadband

(Editor’s note: “Today in Technology,” will cover the corporate technology market on a daily basis. Comments are welcome. Send E- Mails to [email protected].)It could be the three-day rally in tech stocks, but suddenly there’s a reason to feel bullish about the tech sector. It’s about time.While...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 12, 2001

Can Cisco Rise to the Challenge?

(Editor’s note: “Today in Technology,” will cover the corporate technology market on a daily basis. Comments are welcome. Send E- Mails to [email protected].)Cisco chairman and CEO John Chambers was everybody’s favorite computer industry executive for the past year or so. Through 1999 and early ...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 11, 2001

Will You Yahoo?

(Editor’s note: “Today in Technology,” will cover the corporate technology market on a daily basis. Comments are welcome. Send E- Mails to [email protected].)When Yahoo! Inc., one of the Internet sector’s bellwether stocks, reports its earnings following the market’s close on Wednesday afternoon...

By Joseph Radigan • Jan. 10, 2001

Xenakis on Technology: Microsoft Acquires Great Plains Software

Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Great Plains Software indicates how the computer industry is changing and how Microsoft itself may have to change in order to maintain its leadership position. On December 21, 2000, Microsoft said that it would acquire Great Plains Software Inc. in a $1.1 billi...

By John Xenakis • Jan. 10, 2001